Plants small, bright green, in dense turfs. Stems short, 0.5–2 cm, erect, mostly unbranched or weakly sympodially branching with colorless branches arising at acute or right angles from the erect leafy stems. Leaves reduced proximally and widely spaced, distally more densely arranged and roughly 3-ranked or irregularly arranged, of 1–4 segments, erect or spreading. Sexual condition with antheridia lateral, elongate, orange-brown when mature, archegonia lateral and often orange-tinged, not halting subsequent stem growth. Seta 0.5–2.6 mm, straight and erect. Capsule elongate-elliptic, 0.6–2.3 × 0.3–0.5 mm, green becoming brown. Spores 25–36 µm.

Distribution

nw North America, Asia (Borneo, China, India, Japan, Nepal).

Discussion

Species 2 (2 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Takakia ceratophylla, Takakia lepidozioides

Key

1	Leaves essentially 3-ranked, mostly of 4 segments, connate at base, not caducous, in median cross-sectional segments with 2-5 inner large cells and 10-15 smaller thick-walled epidermal cells, distal portion of leafy shoots rigid, brittle and caducous, sporophytes infrequent; plants without a distinctive odor when dry.	Takakia ceratophylla
1	Leaves irregularly ranked, of (1-)2(3-4) segments, not or only occasionally connate at base, somewhat caducous, in median cross-sectional segments with 1-2 inner thin-walled cells and ca. 8 smaller thin-walled outer epidermal cells, distal portion of leafy shoots often lax, not caducous; sporophytes unknown; plants cinnamon-scented when dry	Takakia lepidozioides